For a sinister darkness has begun to haunt her spells, and there may be much more at stake than just her pride. With every spirit banished, creature helped, and spell cast, Arianwyn starts to get the hang of being a witch–even if she’s only an apprentice. Strange things are sighted in the woods, a dangerous infestation of hex creeps throughout the town, and a mysterious magical visitor arrives with his eye on her. Declared an apprentice and sent to the town of Lull in disgrace, she may never become a real witch - much to the glee of her arch-rival, Gimma.īut remote Lull is not as boring as it seems. It’s sweet and simple and set in a quirky village that makes me long for the fantasy novels I read and enjoyed as a kid.Ī special middle grade debut of magic and courage in a world of witches, written with the charm and enchantment of Circus Mirandus and The Apothecary.Īrianwyn has flunked her witch’s assessment: She’s doomed. It’s the sort of fantasy story I’ve been searching for.
The eye-catching cover called to me and I began reading the book soon after receiving it.
Back in June, I believe, I saw an ARC giveaway in one of the many bookish newsletters I’m subscribed to and entered not expecting that I would be granted a copy of the novel. Ages 8–12.The Apprentice Witch is a debut middle-grade fantasy novel that was recently published on July 25. Still, Nicol lays enough groundwork to support future stories.
Nicol presents a world filled with magic and strange creatures, but unexplored plotlines-such as the ongoing but vaguely described war that has caused a shortage of witches, allowing Arianwyn the opportunity to be reevaluated-and underdeveloped characters don’t let the book to live up to its full potential. After arriving in Lull, Arianwyn realizes more is afoot: evil spirits from the Great Wood (a “dangerous and remote” forest filled with ancient spirits) are causing mayhem, a hex infection has taken root in the Great Wood, and a shadowy creature begins terrorizing the town, too. After Arianwyn botches her evaluation, she thinks her dreams of becoming a full-fledged witch and member of the Civil Witchcraft Authority are over, but she’s given a second chance: she will continue to be an apprentice witch in the small town of Lull until the time of her reevaluation. In Nicol’s charming debut novel, failed witch Arianwyn Gribble learns of the power that comes with knowing one’s self-worth and conquering the darkness within.
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